PEMAKNAAN KHALAYAK TENTANG ADEGAN KEKERASAN PADA FILM “SIKSA NERAKA” KARYA ANGGY UMBARA (Studi Resepsi Pada Aktivis Mahasiswa Jurnalistik Fotografi Club Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)

This study analyzes audience reception toward the representation of extreme violence in the religious horror film "Siksa Neraka" (2023), which is packaged as an instrument for dakwah (Islamic proselytization). Employing a qualitative approach and Stuart Hall’s Reception Analysis (Encoding-Decoding) model, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with seven student activists from the Jurnalistik Fotografi Club (JUFOC) at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, who possess specialized visual competence. The results indicate that audience interpretations are polysemic and categorized into three dimensions. First, within the Theological Dimension (Dominant Position), the majority of informants affirmed the visual violence as a manifestation of religious truth and an effective medium for repentance. Second, within the Aesthetic Dimension (Negotiated Position), the informants agreed with the moral message but strongly criticized the excessive CGI execution, which induced nausea rather than fear. Third, within the Ethical Dimension (Oppositional Position), the informants completely rejected the screening, deeming it exploitative and violating the boundaries of public decency. It can be concluded that the religious ideological background continues to dominate as the audience's primary framework of knowledge, despite their high level of visual literacy. The audience's critical capacity and resistance only emerge at the aesthetic and ethical levels when the film's execution is perceived to deviate from the standards of propriety.